Flue lining



) sink or settle into the green concrete of Patented Sept. 3, 1940UNITED-"STATES PATENT OFFICE,

19 Claims.

The .present invention relates to a flue lining, and. especially to thatsection thereof which forms the base of a flue.

An object of the invention is to provide a flue lining section ofceramic material or the like, which has integrally formed therewith apair of lateral hollow extensions projecting in a com mon direction fromone side of the lining section, providing preformed openings for acleanout and for reception of a cylindrical flue pipe from a furnace,stove, or other piece of equipmentto be vented.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flue lining section ofthe character referred to, whichwill effect a material saving of timeand labor in the building of a chimney.

- A further object of the invention is to provide a flue lining sectionfor the base of a flue, which presents safety features not heretoforefound in fiues or chimneys as commonly constructed.

Anotherobject is to provide a flue lining section of the characterstated, which is so constructed as to facilitate the work of making thenecessary connection to heating equipmenuand to simplify theconstruction of a building foundation or masonry wall in the region ofthe base of the flue.

Another object is to enhance the appearance of the finished flueinstallation, and to provide means of identification of the fluesection, which means are visible after completion of the flue andchimney construction.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a flue lining sectionwhich will not ob-jectionably a foundation wall during construction ofthe flue; to provide a flue lining which easily may be cleaned at thebase corners thereof; to provide a flue lining having effective meansfor bonding the flue sections together to preclude leakage of smoke andgases of combustion; to provide for reinforcement of the lining sectionat locations where the section is likely to be inherently weak due tostrains and stresses set up during the firing treatment of the ceramicmaterial constituting the flue section; and to provide a flue sectionwith lateral extensions having flat faces against which bricks or blocksmay be butted and cemented as easily as such bricks or blocks may beabutted and cemented one to another, with the result that a workman-likejob is performed without the employment of makeshift structuralexpedients, all of this being accomplished with ya substantial saving,of material, laborv and expense.

. The foregoing and other objects are attained. by the means describedherein, and disclosed. in the accompanying drawing, in which:

. Fig. l. is a perspective view of a. flue liningsection embodying theinvention. 5 Fig 2 is a perspective. view showing: a modiflcation of thelining. section.

Fig- 3 is. a perspective view showing a second modification.

- Fig. 4 is a perspectiv view showing av third 10- modiflcation.

Fig. 5 is a fragmental bottom view in perspective, showing a baseflange. with which: any of. the flue lining sections may be furnished,if. desired;

Fig. 5A is a side elevational view of a flue sec- 1'5- tion as formedwithout acIean-out aperture.

Fig. 6 is. an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 6.-6 of. Fig.1.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged cross-sectional View taken on line 11 of Fig. 4.

A common practice in, the building of chimneys having ceramic fluelinings, has been. to place a plain open ended flue lining section inposition to be embedded in a concrete or masonry foundation wall underconstruction, using make- 25 shift means providing roughly formedpassageways through the foundation wallv for gaining access to thelining section after completion of the foundation wall. In cases. wherethe foundation wall was of poured concrete, it was cus- 3 tomary for thecarpenter to nail pieces of ordinary strip lumber together in theapproximate form of a cylinder, and. to fasten the block thusconstructed to the inside of the foundation wall form, between the formand the flue lining section. It was necessary to shape one wooden blockfor the flue thimble, and a second block for the clean-out opening ofthe flue. After setting these blocks in the forms, concrete was pouredfor the construction of the foundation wall, and after removal of thewall forms, it was necessary for a workman to chisel out or otherwiseremove the blocks from the concrete in which they were set. In manyinstances, this entailed a considerable amount of labor. After removalof the wooden blocks, it was necessary 'to puncture the flue liningsection so as to pro- .vide for access into the interior of the flue.This was accomplishedby hammering the flue section until it would break.In most instances, 0 the break in the lining section would be veryirregular, and would extend along the full height of the section,thereby practically destroying one entire wall of the lining section.This obviously weakened the flue construction, and insome cases thelining was so disrupted that the flue and chimney would not withstandinspection and tests of the building inspector. In such cases, it wasnecessary to tear down the entire chimney, remove the broken fluesection, and replace it with a new one. In some instances, the puncturedlining section would be so injured and broken away as to constitute afire hazard by affording access of the flue gases to the joists,flooring and studding situated immediately above the broken fluesection. Moreover structural difficulty frequently was encountered byreason of the fact that the base section of the flue would sink into thegreen concrete of the partly completed foundation wall. To avoid this,various make-shift supporting contrivances were resorted to, thecommonest of which was to stand the base section of the flue upon shortlengths of sheeting or boards, which necessarily remained at the base ofthe flue thereby constituting a further fire hazard and producing aweakened foundation wall and a very poor job at the base of the flue,resulting in soot accumulations that could not be removed through theclean-out opening without considerable effort.

From the foregoing explanation, it should be clearly understood .thatthe building of every chimney was attended by considerable risk offaulty construction, which in any case might have required tearing downthe flue and chimney, and replacing it so that it would pass inspection.Moreover, the contractor always was required to furnish additional laborin order to form the flue and clean-out openings, and to suitably linethe openings with metal or other acceptable material which would furnisha tight fit with the flue pipe of the heating equipment, and with theclosure for the clean-out opening.

By means of the present invention, all of the risk and the variousdisadvantages and sources of diificulty in the building of a flue orchimney, are definitely eliminated and every job unquestionablywithstands all tests applied by the building inspector, there beingeliminated all possibility of a fire hazard and leakage of smoke andgases from the flue. All of this is accomplished with a reduction ofconstruction costs, and with the ultimate result that a more attractivejob is performed, from the standpoint of both appearance and efficiency.

With reference to the accompanying drawing, the characer l2, in everyinstance indicates a flue lining section, which by preference isconstructed of fired ceramic material. Each lining section has a frontwall l3, a rear wall l4, and side walls I 5. As shown, the liningsection is of rectangular formation and may be either square or oblong,although it is to be clearly understood that any lining section might bemade cylindrical in form. As shown in Fig. 1, the lining section may beprovided with a solid bottom or base I5, in which case the corners wherethe base meets the upright walls, preferably are formed with fillets l5,whereby the sharp corners are eliminated. The fillets strengthen theceramic structure at the points of inherent weakness, and perform thefurther function of facilitating the cleaning of the flue interior,where soot and other foreign materials are deposited during a season ofuse. It should be understood that the base [5 of the lining sectionshown in Fig. 1 may be centrally apertured as shownin Fig. 5, ifdesired, or it may be left open, as indicated at the top of the fluelining section. In either case, the fillets such as IE-may be includedin the base structure.

The upper edge I! of the lining section may be grooved or gouged out, asindicated by Fig. 6. As shown, the upper edge of each wall has beengrooved so as to provide a recess l8, leaving upper plane edges I9 atopposite sides of the groove, for the purpose of providing a. fiat-wiseabutment upon similar plane faces of a superposed flue lining sectionindicated at 20. Before the upper section is placed upon the lowersection of Fig. 6, an excess of mortar or other cementing material isplaced in the groove, so as to be squeezed upwardly and outwardly whenthe upper section is placed upon the lower section. This provides aneffective means of keying the sections together, and precludes thepossibility of gas or smoke leakage. The excess mortar at the joint willof course enter the triangular or otherwise shaped groove of the upperor superposed flue lining section 20.

As indicated in Fig. '7, the recess or groove of Fig. 6 may be replacedby a series of spaced parallel grooves 2| running along the upper edgesof the upright walls, said series of grooves being included between theplane faces 22 and 23, and which corresponds to the plane faces l1 andH) of Fig. 6. It will be understood that Fig. 7 shows the flue lining ona larger scale than does Fig. 6.

Referring back to Fig. 1, it will be noted that the front face or walll3 has formed integrally therewith a hollow thimble 24, and a hollowclean-out extension 25 beneath the thimble and spaced therefrom. Thesehollow extensions may project from the wall 13 several inches, in acommon direction. When the flue lining section is installed, the entirestructure, including the walls of the extensions, are concealed in themasonry or concrete wall of the building, so that only the peripheralouter edges 26, 21, and 28 are exposed at the surface of the buildingwall. In order to provide proper support for the hollow extensions, andto furnish an attractive means of identifying the flue lining sectionafter placement thereof, there is provided the web 29. The web isintegral with the hollow extensions and with the front wall l3 of thelining section, and its forward face or edge 28 is made flush with theperipheral edges 26 and 21 of the hollow extensions. The web may beformed wide or narrow, as desired, and it presents an excellent exposedsurface to be marked with identifying characters which may be seen afterinstallation of a flue pipe in the thimble 24, and the placing of theusual plug or other closure upon the clean-out extension 25.

In order that the thimble may be reinforced where it meets the frontwall l3 of the flue section, and to furnish a stop or abutment to limitthe extent with which a flue pipe may enter the thimble, there may beprovided the interior flange 30. The flange preferably is of ceramicmaterial, and may be in the plane of the front wall l3, thereby tofurnish a substantial mounting for the thimble upon the front wall. Aswill be understood, the diameter of the opening at the flange may beslightly less than the inside diameter of the thimble proper. The fluelining section just described is adapted particularly for placement in apoured concrete wall construction wherein the concrete may form aboutthe lateral faces of the web and the hollow extensions which areconnected thereby.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2, the thimble is indicated at 3|, andthe clean-out opening is indicated at 32. It will be noted that theforward extension 33 on the front face of the lining section divides thematerial for formation of the openings 3| and 32, and all of the faces34, 35; 36, and 31 of the extension are made flat, and at right anglesto one or more walls of the flue section proper. As shown, the sidefaces 35 and 31 of the extension are in the plane of the side walls ofthe flue lining. In contrast with the Fig. 2 construction, themodification shown in Fig. 4 shows the side faces 35 and 3'! outside theplane of the side walls of the flue lining, or in parallelism therewith.The upper and lower faces 38 and 39 are at right angles to the faces 35and 31, and to the forward face l3 of the lining section. The provisionof the various plane faces at the right angular relationship specified,enables a neat and rapid finishing of the building wall in instanceswherein the wall is constructed of bricks, concrete blocks, or otherindividual units of construction having butt ends, sides or faces to beplaced along the forward extension of the flue lining section. It ispreferred that the forward extensions of the flue section be at adistance from the front wall of the flue section corresponding to thewidth or thickness of a brick or other structural unit, so that thefor-- ward face 40 will be flush with such bricks or other structuralunits.

In accordance with the modification of Fig. 3, each of the openings 4!and 42 is formed in an individual angular block or extension 43' and 44,respectively, said blocks having upper, lower, and

' side plane faces at right angles to one another,

for the purpose above explained. The degree of extension of the blocksis the same for each of the openings, so that the forward exposed faces45 and 46 will be visible upon completion of the building wall. Theextensions for the openings are integral with the forward face of theflue lining section in all forms of the. invention, so that the fluelining sections will be delivered to the job in completed assembledform, thereby requiring nothing more than placement thereof at thelocation of the chimney for the building. a

In Fig. 4, the flue thirnble is indicated by the character-41, whereas48 indicates the clean-out opening. The various forms of the inventionmay be furnished with either of the grooved structures shown in Fig. 6or 7., and any of them may be provided with a base and fillets asindicated in Figs. and l, or a substantial equivalent thereof.. Aspreviously stated, however, the closed or flanged bottom or base may beeliminated from the flue lining section if desired, and especially ininstances wherein the building wall is constructed of individualstructural units such as bricks, concrete blocks or the like. It shouldreadily bev evident that the thimble and cleanout construction hereindisclosed may be applied to flue lining sections of shapes other thanthe rectangular shapes illustrated, it being well known among personsskilled in the art that flue lining sections are of various sizes andshapes. In each form of the invention shown, the degree of extension ofthe thimble and clean-out structure preferably is such that the extendedfaces thereof, such as 25, 21, 28, 40', 45 and 46 will be flush with oneface of the building wall, and exposed to view. Such faces accordinglymay be utilized to carry identification markings or indicia which willbe exposed to view-when the building is completed and occupied, with allheating appliances set up for operation.

In Fig. 5A is disclosed a flue lining section having a thimble 49'integral with the lining section, and extended therefrom as previouslyexplained. The thimble 49 is not'accompani'ed by a cleanout aperture, asare the linings previously referred to. Flue linings such as aredisclosed generally in Fig. 5A are used in connection with appliancesusing gas or oil for fuel, so that there is no occasion to gain accessto the interior of the section for cleaning purposes. This section,

like the others, is formed of baked clay or ceramic material, and it maytherefore be provided with a closed or partially closed integral base,with fillets applied as in Fig. 1. The end or ends may be treated asindicated in Figs. 6 and '7 to provide a bond and seal. It should benoted that the thimble 49 extends from the lining section at a region toone side of the middle of the length of the lining section, so that thesection may be placed or supported upon one end or the other, thereby tosecure a degree of flexibility in locating the thimble elevation withrespect to an appliance with which it is to be connected. The thimble 49may be either cylindrical or angular, to accomplish the purposesheretofore explained.

Attention is directed now to Fig; 4, which discloses means in the fluelining section for intercepting wet mortar or other foreign substancesthat may fall into the flue while the flue and chimney are underconstruction. The intercepting means may be in the form of a pair ofoverlapping substantially flat plates of metal or other suitablematerial, indicated at 56 and 5|, said plates being overlapped as at 52and joined together by inserting nails or the like into registeringapertures 53 and 54 formed in both plates in Y the region of theoverlap. It should be noted that the length of each plate exceeds thedepth of the flue section, so that the joined plates will slopedownwardly and toward the flue aperture 4?, thereby to direct foreignsubstances from the flue section by way of the flue aperture. Thecombined width of the plates when lapped upon one another as indicated,is substantially equal to the width of the flue lining section, so as tofurnish an effective closure preventing the deposit of foreign materialinto the space below the clean-out aperture 48. Where the plates overlapalong their forward edges, they are extended. forward as indicated at 55and 56, so as to rest upon the interior surface of the thimble opening.To'

remove the intercepting plate, it is necessary only to remove the nailsfrom the apertures 53 and 54, whereupon the plates may be furtheroverlapped and withdrawn through the opening 41. The means fordetachably joining the plates are subject to variations, as will beunderstood. The intercepting plates are to be constructed of inexpensivematerial, such as a low grade of sheet metal.

By comparing the cost of the flue lining section of this invention withthe amount of time, labor, and materials involved in the building of achimney by means of the present methods, it may readily be demonstratedthat the means of the present invention effects a substantial saving ofexpense, while at the same time removing entirely the element of risk orchance in having the flue approved by the building inspector, and inguarding against fire hazard and weakness of construction that threatensto occur when flues are tapped by attempting to puncture them in orderto form a flue or clean-out hole in the ceramic material of a liningsection. As will be understood, any of the flue lining sections hereindisclosed may be formed without a clean-out aperture, following thesuggestions of Fig. 5A.

What is claimed is:

1. A flue lining section comprising. a ceramic conduit having opposedends, and integral laterally extending hollow bosses at one side of theconduit providing a flue thimble and a clean-out opening, and atemporary inclined deflector means in one of said openings extendinginto the lining section for intercepting and deflecting through said oneopening all foreign substance gravitating through the lining sectionduring erection of a chimney thereabout.

2. A flue lining section comprising a ceramic conduit having opposedopen ends, and an intermediate laterally disposed opening in the conduitproviding a flue pipe support, and a temporary inclined deflector meansin one of said openings extending into the lining section forintercepting and deflecting through said one opening all foreignsubstance gravitating through the lining section during erection of achimney thereabout.

3. A flue lining section comprising a length of ceramic conduit havingan open end and an upper peripheral edge at said end, the edge beingtriangularly grooved lengthwise of the edge leaving a pair of spacedparallel plane faces for flatwise abutment with similar faces of asuperposed lining, and a closed end on the conduit providing a base topreclude sinking of the conduit into plastic concrete when placed on endupon the concrete, the corners of the conduit interiorly thereof beingsloped gradually inwardly and downwardly to meet the base as a fillet atsaid corners.

4. A flue lining section comprising a length of ceramic conduit havingan open end and an upper peripheral edge at said end, the edge beingtriangularly grooved lengthwise of the edge leaving a pair of spacedparallel plane faces for flatwise abutment with similar faces of asuperposed lining, and a closed end on the conduit providing a base topreclude sinking of the conduit into plastic concrete when placed on endupon the concrete, the corners of the conduit interiorly thereof beingsloped gradually inwardly and downwardly to meet the base as a fillet atsaid corners, a flue thimble laterally projecting from the conduit nearthe upper peripheral edge thereof, a clean-out extension between thebase and the thimble, and an integral web flush with the outer ends ofthe extension and the thimble, to be exposed when the flue liningsection is embedded in a building wall.

5. A flue lining section comprising a length of ceramic conduit havingan upright wall about which a chimney structure is to be built, saidconduit carrying a laterally extending hollow flue thimble and aclean-out extension spaced therefrom, both projecting from the conduitin the same direction and for equal distances, and an internal inwardlydirected flange in the thimble for limiting the extent to which a pipemay be inserted in the thimble, the excess material of the flange beinglocated in the thimble flush with the interior of the conduit where thethimble joins the conduit.

6. A flue lining section comprising a length of ceramic conduit havingan upright wall about which a chimney structure is to be built, saidconduit carrying a laterally extending hollow flue thimble and aclean-out extension spaced therefrom, both projecting from the conduitin the same direction and for equal distances, and an internal inwardlydirected flange in the thimble for limiting the extent to which a pipemay be inserted in the thimble, the excess material of the flange beinglocated in the thimble flush with the interior of the conduit where thethimble joins the conduit, and means spanning the space between thethimble and the clean-out extension, and lying flush with the outer endsthereof, so as to be exposed along with said outer ends when the liningis embedded in a building wall.

7. A flue lining section comprising a length of ceramic conduit havingan upright wall and opposite ends, a pair of hollow bosses formed on thewall of the conduit and extending laterally therefrom for equaldistances, one of said bosses being cylindrical interiorly thereof toreceive a flue pipe of a corresponding shape, and both bosses havingexterior flat faces all of which faces are either parallel with orperpendicular to the conduit wall, thereby providing flat abutmentsurfaces at all sides of the bosses to accommodate building blocks andbricks to be placed against the conduit wall and flush with the outerends of the equally extended bosses.

8. A flue lining section comprising a length of ceramic conduit havingan upright wall and opposite ends, a pair of hollow bosses formed on thewall of the conduit and extending laterally therefrom for equaldistances, one of said bosses being cylindrical interiorly thereof toreceive a flue pipe of a corresponding shape, and both bosses havingexterior flat faces all of which faces are either parallel with orperpendicular to the conduit wall, thereby providing flat abutmentsurfaces at all sides of the bosses to accommodate building blocks andbricks to be placed against the conduit wall and flush with the outerends of the equally extended bosses, and means at one end of the conduitfor effecting a keyed relationship of the conduit with a second conduitof the same cross-sectional area.

9. A flue lining section comprising a length of ceramic conduit havingan upright wall and opposite ends, a hollow boss integral with theconduit wall and laterally extended therefrom, the interior of thehollow boss being of cylindrical formation to receive a cylindricalstove pipe, said boss having a flat forward face parallel to the conduitwall, and side, top, and bottom flat faces at right angles to theforward face providing flat surfaces for the application of rectangularbuilding blocks to be bonded thereto in flatwise abutting relationship.

10. A flue lining section comprising a length of ceramic conduit havingan upright wall and opposite ends, a hollow boss integral with theconduit wall and laterally extended therefrom, the interior of thehollow boss being of cylindrical formation to receive a cylindricalstove pipe, said boss having a flat forward face parallel to the conduitwall, and side, top, and bottom flat faces at right angles to theforward face providing flat surfaces for the application of rectangularbuilding blocks to be bonded thereto in flatwise abutting relationship,and a mortar receiving recess at an end of the conduit for keying sameto a second conduit placed in end to end abutment therewith.

11. A flue lining section comprising a ceramic conduit having oppositeends and an intermediate portion apertured to provide for accesslaterally to the conduit interior, a thimble extended outwardly aboutthe access aperture and having flat front, side, and top faces allarranged at right angles to one another, and a partial bottom at one endof the conduit constituted of an integral flange extending inwardly fromthe outer surface of the conduit, leaving an enlarged central aperturesurrounded by a peripheral supporting base of such area as to precludethe weight of the conduit from sinking in unhardened concrete.

12. A flue lining section comprising a ceramic conduit of rectangularcross-section having 'opposed open ends and flat front, rear, and sidefaces, the front face of the conduit being apertured in a circularformation to receive a cylindrical flue pipe, an extension on the frontface surrounding the circular aperture, said extension having paralleltop and bottom faces, and opposed side faces formed in the plane of theconduit side faces and extending longitudinally of the conduit.

13. In combination with a flue lining section having an interior wallsurface and a lateral aperture therein for connection with a pipe, apair of separable overlapping plates each of a greater length than thedistance from the flue aperture to the interior of the lining section atits greatest distance from the lateral aperture, the combined width ofthe plates when overlapped being substantially equal to the width of thelining section, and the width of each plate individually being less thanthe width of the lateral aperture, a forward extension on one of theplates to rest within the lateral aperture to preclude gravitation ofthe plates through the section, and means for detachably securing theplates in the overlapped relationship prescribed.

14. An interceptor for falling mortar and like foreign substancesthrough a flue in the process of construction, which interceptorcomprises a plurality of plates joined together to completely close theflue, the plates being of such size individually as to be capable ofwithdrawal through the thimble opening of the flue.

15. The combination which comprises a hollow flue lining element havingan opening in a wall thereof, and a deflector projecting into the fluelining element for intercepting and directing falling mortar and chipsthrough the wall opening, occurring incident to the building of achimney about and above said lining element.

16. The combination which comprises a hollow flue lining element havingan opening in a wall thereof, and a deflector within the flue liningelement for directing falling mortar and chips through the wallopenings, occurring incident to the building of a chimney about andabove said lining element, said deflector including a spout portionresting within said opening and inclined inwardly and upwardly withinthe flue lining element and away from said opening.

17. In a chimney undergoing the process of erection, the combinationwhich comprises a hollow flue lining element having anopening in a wallthereof, and a temporary deflector positioned within the flue liningelement in an inclined position, for'directing through the Wall openingany mortar and chips falling into the lining element incident to thebuilding of a chimney about and above said lining element, saiddeflector being of such size as to form a substantially complete slopingtemporary barrier transversely of the hollow flue lining element.

18. In a chimney undergoing the process of erection, the combinationwhich comprises a hollow flue lining element having an opening in a wallthereof, an extending hollow thimble surrounding said opening, and adeflector posi-.

tioned within the flue lining element in an inclined position, to form asubstantially complete barrier across the hollow flue lining elementlocated for directing, through the wall opening and the hollow thimble,any mortar and chips falling into the lining element from above incidentto the building of a chimney about and above said lining element.

19. In a chimney undergoing the process of erection, the combinationwhich comprises a hollow flue lining element having an opening in a wallthereof, an extending hollow thimble surrounding said opening, and adeflector positioned within the flue lining element in an inclinedposition, to form a substantially complete barrier across the hollowflue lining element located for directing, through the wall opening andthe hollow thimble, any mortar and chips falling into the lining elementfrom above incident to the building of a chimney about and above saidlining element, and means on the deflector extending into the hollowthimble for supporting the deflector in the inclined position stated.

LEONIDAS WILSON.

